Get Stuffed

C&C Stuffed Mushrooms, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Autumn seems to be well on her way. Which I, honestly, couldn't be more excited about. Yesterday was quite the blustery day here in Bellingham, with bouts of sun, dark clouds, rain and of course, lots of wind. I adore wind. If it were windy half the year, particularly during autumn, I would be the happiest little food blogger in the world. Watching all the amber, scarlet, and brown leaves dance wildly makes my heart happy. On incredibly windswept days I love to open all of my windows, blast Pandora, all the while feeling and listening to the fresh air rip through the house. This weather has me ready to break out my flats, sweaters, and jeans, throw on my apron and make a slew of autumn inspired dishes; cinnamon rolls, chili, chicken paprikash, and of course, apple pie. Mushrooms in particular remind me of Fall. Probably because many of our local varieties are harvested during the autumn months. Many of my savory fall favorites feature a mushroom tucked in here, or starring there. So it was no surprise on friday evening when Thomas and I decided we wanted to have a variety of homemade appetizers for dinner (paired with a couple of glasses of a lovely red wine, of course) that I was craving something mushroom-y. Many of our appetizers were asian inspired, like crab rangoon and homemade chicken dumplings (gyoza), but for some reason I had to have stuffed mushrooms. They're so simple, plus, the filling is almost identical to the filling for my crab rangoon. This is my mothers recipe, one of her favorites in fact. Often when she would head off to a dinner party, or have guests over, she'd whip up a giant batch of stuffed mushrooms. I might even call them her signature party dish. Just to sell them a little harder, to convince you to try it out yourself let me tell you this, few months back I hosted a little baby shower for a dear friend whose husband hates mushrooms. So, among other mini bites, I served these mushrooms, and let me tell you, they were the first thing to go! The girls just couldn't get enough of them. They're a perfect bite. The cheesy, creamy stuffing mixed with the texture of the baked mushroom is soul satisfying.

Today is my mom's birthday, so, it's only appropriate for me to post this little recipe of hers. Frankly, it's not as glamorous, fabulous, or sweet as my mom, but it surely does remind me of her. Happy birthday mom, you are, hands down, the most amazing woman I have ever known, and I choose to believe that you and only you are the greatest mom that has ever lived. I love you dearly, you were truly a miracle not only for grandma, but for me as well!

Recipe: MaryAnn's Famous Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

10 large-ish crimini mushrooms (or 20 small mushrooms) cleaned/stems removed

5 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 small can of high quality crab, or, of course, if you're up for it and it's in season, freshly cleaned dungeness

4 scallions thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Pecorino/Parmesan for sprinkling

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Brush tops of mushrooms with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn upside down on baking sheet.

3. Thoroughly mix cream cheese, crab, scallion, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Scoop one large heaping spoonful of filling into the cleaned out bottom of the mushroom.

5. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan or pecorino

6. Bake in preheated oven 12-15 minutes, until heated through, hot and bubbly and slightly golden on top.

7. Eat & Enjoy!